Semiconductor devices including silicide regions and methods of fabricating the same

ABSTRACT

A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate, a gate electrode structure including a gate electrode located on an active region of the semiconductor substrate, first and second epitaxial regions located in the active region at opposite sides of the gate electrode structure, and first and second silicide layers on upper surfaces of the first and second epitaxial regions, respectively. The first and second epitaxial regions include Si—X, where X is one of germanium and carbon, and at least a portion of each of the first and second silicide layers is devoid of X and includes Si—Y, where Y is a metal or metal alloy

PRIORITY STATEMENT

A claim of priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 is made to Korean PatentApplication No. 10-2010-0087618, filed on Sep. 7, 2010, the disclosureof which is incorporated herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

The inventive concepts relate to a semiconductor devices and to methodsof fabricating the same. More particularly, the inventive conceptsrelate to semiconductor devices including silicide regions and tomethods of fabricating the same.

A semiconductor device may include an integrated circuit (IC) made up ofa plurality of Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistors(MOSFETs or MOS transistors for short). Reducing the size and designrule of such a semiconductor device, i.e., increasing the degree ofintegration of the device, may thus require a scaling-down of MOStransistors. However, scaled-down MOS transistors may exhibit shortchannel effects which degrade the operational characteristics of thesemiconductor device. Accordingly, research is being conducted onvarious techniques aimed at fabricating highly integrated semiconductordevices that offer better performance. In particular, research is beingconducted on ways to increase the mobility of charge carriers (electronsor holes) in MOS transistors with the aim of developing high-performancesemiconductor devices. Also, research is being conducted on ways to formlow-resistivity silicide layers in MOS transistors, which can minimizecontact resistance and sheet resistance of the gate, source and drain ofMOS transistors, and thereby allow for the production of more highlyintegrated semiconductor devices.

SUMMARY

According to one aspect of the inventive concepts, a semiconductordevice is provided which includes a semiconductor substrate, a gateelectrode structure including a gate electrode located on an activeregion of the semiconductor substrate, first and second epitaxialregions located in the active region at opposite sides of the gateelectrode structure, and first and second silicide layers on uppersurfaces of the first and second epitaxial regions, respectively. Thefirst and second epitaxial regions include Si—X, where X is one ofgermanium and carbon, and at least a portion of each of the first andsecond silicide layers is devoid of X and includes Si—Y, where Y is ametal or metal alloy.

According to another aspect of the inventive concepts, a semiconductordevice is provided which includes a substrate including a first regionand a second region, a device isolation layer in the substrate and whichdemarcates a first active region in the first region of the substrateand a second active region in the second region of the substrate, a PMOStransistor disposed at the first region of the substrate and including afirst gate electrode located on the first active region, first andsecond epitaxial regions located in the first active region at oppositesides of the first gate electrode, respectively, where the first andsecond epitaxial regions both include SiGe. The semiconductor devicefurther includes first and second silicide layers on upper surfaces ofthe first and second epitaxial regions, respectively, wherein at least aportion of each of the first and second silicide layers is devoid ofgermanium and includes Si—Y, where Y is a metal or metal alloy. Thesemiconductor device still further includes an NMOS transistor disposedat the second region of the substrate and electrically connected to thePMOS.

According to another aspect of the inventive concepts, a method offabricating a semiconductor device is provided which includes forming agate electrode structure including a gate electrode on an active regionof a substrate, forming first and second epitaxial regions in the activeregion at opposite sides of the gate electrode structure, respectively,forming a silicon layer on the first and second epitaxial regionsincluding by depositing silicon on each of the first and secondepitaxial regions, and converting at least a portion of the siliconlayer, on each of the first and second epitaxial regions, to a silicide.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other aspects and features of the inventive concepts willbecome readily understood from the detailed description that follows,with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a flow chart of a first embodiment of a method of fabricatinga semiconductor device according to the inventive concepts;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a semiconductor device according to theinventive concepts;

FIGS. 3 to 10 are each sectional views in the directions of lines I-I′and II-II′ of FIG. 2, respectively, and together illustrate the firstembodiment of a method of fabricating a semiconductor device accordingto the inventive concepts;

FIG. 11 is a graph illustrating a technique used to form a siliconepitaxial layer in a method of fabricating a semiconductor deviceaccording to the inventive concepts;

FIG. 12 is a graph illustrating another technique used to form a siliconepitaxial layer in a method of fabricating a semiconductor deviceaccording to the inventive concepts;

FIGS. 13A to 13D are sectional views illustrating a process of forming asilicon epitaxial layer according to the inventive concepts;

FIGS. 14 to 16 are each a pair of sectional views taken along lines I-I′and II-II′ of FIG. 2, and illustrate processes in a second embodiment ofa method of fabricating a semiconductor device according to theinventive concepts;

FIGS. 17 to 20 are each a pair of sectional views taken along lines I-I′and II-II′ of FIG. 2, and illustrate processes in a third embodiment ofa method of fabricating a semiconductor device according to theinventive concepts;

FIG. 21 is a flow chart of a fourth embodiment of method of fabricatinga semiconductor device according to the inventive concepts;

FIGS. 22 to 27 are each a pair of sectional views taken along lines I-I′and II-II′ of FIG. 2, and illustrate processes in the fourth embodimentof a method of fabricating a semiconductor device according to theinventive concepts;

FIG. 28 is a flow chart of a fifth embodiment of a method of fabricatinga semiconductor device according to the inventive concepts;

FIG. 29 is a sectional view of a semiconductor device fabricated by themethod illustrated in FIG. 28;

FIG. 30 is a flow chart of a sixth embodiment of a method of fabricatinga semiconductor device according to the inventive concepts;

FIGS. 31 to 34 are each a sectional view and illustrate processes in thesixth embodiment of a method of fabricating a semiconductor deviceaccording to the inventive concepts;

FIG. 35 is a sectional view of a process in another version of the sixthembodiment of a method of fabricating a semiconductor device accordingto the inventive concepts;

FIG. 36 is a circuit diagram of an inverter including a CMOS transistoraccording to the inventive concepts; and

FIG. 37 is a circuit diagram of an SRAM device including a CMOStransistor according to exemplary embodiments of the inventive concepts.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Various embodiments and examples of embodiments of the inventive conceptwill be described more fully hereinafter with reference to theaccompanying drawings. In the drawings, the sizes and relative sizes andshapes of elements, layers and regions, such as implanted or etchedregions, shown in section may be exaggerated for clarity. In particular,the cross-sectional illustrations of the semiconductor devices andintermediate structures fabricated during the course of theirmanufacture are schematic. Also, when like numerals appear in thedrawings, such numerals are used to designate like elements.

Furthermore, spatially relative terms, such as “upper”, “top”, “lower”and “bottom” are used to describe an element's and/or feature'srelationship to another element(s) and/or feature(s) as illustrated inthe figures. Thus, the spatially relative terms may apply toorientations in use which differ from the orientation depicted in thefigures. Obviously, though, all such spatially relative terms refer tothe orientation shown in the drawings for ease of description and arenot necessarily limiting as embodiments according to the inventiveconcept can assume orientations different than those illustrated in thedrawings when in use. In addition, a term such as “upper” or “bottom” asused to describe a surface generally refers not only to the orientationdepicted in the drawings but may refer to the fact that the surface isthe uppermost or bottommost surface in the orientation depicted, aswould be clear from the drawings and context of the written description.

It will also be understood that when an element or layer is referred toas being “on” another element or layer, it can be directly on the otherelement or layer or intervening elements or layers may be present. Incontrast, when an element or layer is referred to as being “directly on”another element or layer, there are no intervening elements or layerspresent.

Furthermore, the term “and/or” as used herein includes any and allpractical combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.With respect to materials of a particular layer, the term “and/or” maybe used to indicate that the particular layer is made up of one or morefilms of different materials.

It will also be understood that although the terms first, second, third,etc. are used herein to describe various elements, regions, layers,etc., these elements, regions, and/or layers are not limited by theseterms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element, layer orregion from another.

Other terminology used herein for the purpose of describing particularexamples or embodiments of the inventive concept is to be taken incontext. For example, the terms “comprises” or “comprising” when used inthis specification specifies the presence of stated features orprocesses but does not preclude the presence or additional features orprocesses.

Also, in the description that follows, conventional notation known inthe art of crystallography as Miller indices will be used. Millerindices, as is known in the art, indicate the arrangement of atoms in acrystalline solid. More specifically, Miller indices describearrangements of atoms in a crystalline solid in terms of directions andplanes in a crystal lattice.

Miller indices are sets of three integers h, k and l that describe afamily of planes in a crystal lattice. The integers are written in theirlowest terms, i.e., as their minimum integer ratio such that theirgreatest common divisor is l. When the three integers are arranged in () like (h k l), the index denotes the reciprocals of intercepts of theplane in a coordinate system of a unit cell of the crystal lattice. Thisplane could be any one of planes parallel to each other in the lattice.Furthermore, many planes in the lattice are equivalent to each other ina crystallographic sense. Therefore, the notation {h k l} is used todenote the set of planes that are equivalent to (h k l) by the symmetryof the lattice.

Also, a direction in a crystal lattice is described by a set of threeintegers representing a vector in that direction between two points inthe unit cell of the crystal lattice. The vector is denoted by [h k l]with the integers being the intercepts of the vector when projected ontothe crystallographic axes of a unit cell of the lattice (and againreduced to the simplest whole number ratio). Similar to planes in acrystal lattice, many directions in the lattice are crystallographicallyequivalent to each other due to symmetry of the lattice. Therefore, thenotation <h k l> describes the set of directions that are equivalent todirection [h k l] by symmetry.

Finally, before the detailed description of the preferred embodimentsproceeds, an aspect of a PMOS transistor to which embodiments of theinventive concepts applies will be described. A PMOS transistor formedon a semiconductor substrate includes a gate electrode disposed on thesemiconductor substrate, a gate insulating layer interposed between thegate electrode and the substrate, and source/drain electrodes disposedin the semiconductor substrate at both sides of the gate electrode. Whena predetermined bias voltage is applied to the PMOS transistor, achannel is formed in the semiconductor substrate under the gateelectrode. Holes serving as major charge carriers in the PMOS transistormove through the channel. The mobility of holes in the channel is afactor in the speed of operation of the PMOS. Thus, operatingcharacteristics of the PMOS transistor can be improved by increasing themobility of the holes.

In general, the mobility of charge carriers can be improved by applyingphysical stress to the channel region beneath the gate electrode tothereby change the energy band structure of the channel region. In thecase of a PMOS transistor having holes as major charge carriers, acompressive stress when applied to the channel region can improve themobility of holes. Also, the mobility of the charge carriers is affectedby the orientation of the crystal lattice of the semiconductorsubstrate. For example, holes serving as major charge carriers in a PMOStransistor have high mobility in the <110> directions of a siliconlattice.

Therefore, a channel region of the PMOS transistor is formed so as toextend lengthwise in one of the <110> directions.

A first embodiment of a semiconductor device and a method of fabricatingthe same will now be described with reference to FIGS. 1-10

Referring first to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, a semiconductor substrate 10 havingan active region delimited by a device isolation layer 20 is provided(S10).

The semiconductor substrate 10 may be a monocrystalline siliconsubstrate. Alternatively, as other examples, the semiconductor substrate10 may be a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate, a germanium substrate,a germanium-on-insulator (GOI) substrate, a silicon-germanium substrate,or an epitaxial layer substrate produced by a selective epitaxial growth(SEG) process. In the example of this embodiment that follows, thesemiconductor substrate 10 is a silicon substrate.

The device isolation layer 20 is formed by forming a trench in thesemiconductor substrate 10 and filling the trench with a dielectricmaterial. In this process, the trench can be formed by forming a mask(not illustrated) exposing a field region of the semiconductor substrate10 and anisotropically etching the substrate using the mask as an etchmask. As a result of the anisotropic etching, the top of the trench isgenerally wider than its bottom. The trench is preferably filled with adielectric having good gap-filling characteristics. Examples ofdielectric material having good gap-filling characteristics includeboron-phosphor silicate glass (BPSG), high-density plasma oxides,undoped silicate glass (USG), and Tonen SilaZene (TOSZ).

Also, the semiconductor substrate 10 may include a doped region 101. Inparticular, the semiconductor substrate 10 may include a doped regionforming an n-type well (hereinafter also referred to as an N-well).

Subsequently, a gate insulator 111 and a gate electrode 121 are formedon the active region with the gate insulator 111 interposed between thegate electrode 121 and the active region (S20).

The gate insulator 111 may, for example, include a silicon oxide layer,a silicon nitride layer, a silicon oxynitride layer and a high-kdielectric layer, or a combination of such layers. Here, high-kdielectric refers to those materials whose dielectric constant isgreater than that of silicon oxide. Examples of high-k dielectricsinclude tantalum oxide, titanium oxide, hafnium oxide, zirconium oxide,aluminum oxide, yttrium oxide, niobium oxide, cesium oxide, indiumoxide, iridium oxide, and barium strontium titanate (BST).

The gate electrode 121 can be formed by forming a gate conductive layerand a capping layer on the gate insulator 111, and patterning (etching)the resulting structure. That is, the gate electrode 121 may include agate conductive pattern 121 and a capping pattern 123 on the gateconductive pattern 121. The gate electrode 121 may also extendlongitudinally on the active region in one of the <110> directions orthe <100> directions of the crystal lattice of the silicon substrate 10.

In one example of this embodiment, the gate electrode 121 is formed ofdoped polysilicon (poly-Si), i.e., polysilicon doped with an n-type orp-type dopant. Thus, in the case in which a PMOS transistor is formed,the gate electrode 121 may be formed of a polysilicon layer doped with ap-type dopant. In another example of this embodiment, the gate electrode121 is formed of conductive material that has a lower resistivity and ahigher work function than doped polysilicon. For example, the gateelectrode 121 may be formed of a metal layer and/or a metal nitridelayer. Examples of the metal layers include tungsten and molybdenumlayers and examples of conductive metal nitride layers include titaniumnitride, tantalum nitride, tungsten nitride, and titanium aluminumnitride layers.

Next, doped regions are formed in the active region at both sides of thegate electrode 121 (S30). In an example of this embodiment, each dopedregion includes a lightly-doped region 141 and a heavily-doped region143 (described below with reference to FIG. 4). The lightly-dopedregions 141 are formed in the semiconductor substrate 10 at both sidesof the gate electrode 121 by implanting a p-type dopant (e.g., boron(B)) using the gate electrode 121 as an ion implantation mask. In thiscase, diffusion of the dopant causes the lightly-doped region 141 toextend to a location beneath the gate electrode 121.

Also, a channel doped region (not illustrated) may be formed byperforming a halo ion implantation process after the p-typelightly-doped region 141 is formed. Such a channel doped region may beformed by ion-implanting an n-type dopant (e.g., arsenic (As)), i.e., adopant of a conductivity type opposite to the conductivity type of thesource/drain region. The n-type channel doped region increases the ionconcentration of the active region under the gate electrode 121, thuspreventing a punch-through phenomenon.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 4, a spacer 130 is formed on the sidewall ofthe gate electrode 121 (at both sides of the gate electrode as shown inthe figure). In this respect, the spacer 130 may be formed by depositingdielectric material on the semiconductor substrate 10 and performing ablanket anisotropic etching process (e.g., an etch-back process) on theresulting structure.

In the illustrated example, the spacer 130 has a structure of stackeddielectric materials having an etch selectivity with respect to oneanother. More specifically, a silicon oxide layer and a silicon nitridelayer are sequentially and conformally formed on the semiconductorsubstrate 10. The silicon oxide layer can be formed by a chemical vapordeposition (CVD) process or can be formed by thermally oxidizing thegate electrode 121 and the semiconductor substrate 10. The silicon oxidelayer cures the sidewall of damage caused when the gate electrode 121 isformed by the aforementioned patterning (etching) process, and serves asa buffer layer between the semiconductor substrate 10 and the siliconnitride layer. The sequentially-formed silicon oxide layer and siliconnitride layer are then etched back to form a dual spacer 130 thatincludes an L-shaped lower spacer element 131 and an upper spacerelement 133 on each side of the gate electrode 121. A dual spacer 130hampers the creation of a short channel effect which tends to otherwiseoccur when the channel length (i.e., the distance between the source anddrain regions) decreases with increases in the degree to which thesemiconductor device is integrated.

The heavily-doped region 143 is formed on the semiconductor substrate 10at both sides of the gate electrode 121 after the spacer 130 is formed.Also, the heavily-doped region 143 may be formed after a recess 105(described below with reference to FIG. 5) has been formed. In any case,the heavily-doped region 143 may be formed by implanting a p-type dopant(e.g., boron (B)) using the gate electrode 121 and the spacer 130 as anion implantation mask. In this case as well, the p-type heavily-dopedregion 143 may extend to a location under the spacer 130.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 5, after spacer 130 has been formed, thesemiconductor substrate 10 is selectively etched to form a recess 105 atopposite sides of the gate electrode 121, respectively (S40). In theillustrated example of this embodiment, the bottom of the recess 105 isparallel to the upper surface of or plane of the semiconductor substrate10. Also, the first and second sides of the recess 105, adjacent theopposite sides of the gate electrode 121, respectively, are inclinedwith respect to the upper surface of the semiconductor substrate 10. Ifthe lattice of the semiconductor substrate 10 is oriented such that theupper surface or plane thereof is a (100) plane of the lattice, thebottom surface delimiting the bottom of the recess 105 is a (100) planeand first and second sides surfaces delimiting the first and secondsides of the recess 105, respectively, may be constituted by a (110), a(111) or a (311) plane. More generally speaking, first and second sidesurfaces of the substrate that respectively delimit the sides of recess105 adjacent to the gate electrode 121 each subtend an angle of greaterthan 90° and less than 180° with respect to the surface that delimitsthe bottom of the recess 105. Thus, the recess 105 may extend under thegate electrode 121. The recess 105 may also expose sidewalls of thedevice isolation layer 20.

The recess 105 is formed by etching the substrate 10 using the gateelectrode 121, the spacer 130 and the device isolation layer 20 as anetch mask. By way of example, the recess 105 may be formed to a depth ofabout 300 Å to about 1000 Å from the upper surface of the semiconductorsubstrate 10. Note, in this respect, the heavily-doped region 143 isformed to a depth predetermined to be greater than that of the recess105. Therefore, the recess 105 exposes the lightly-doped orheavily-doped regions 141 and 143 without exposing the N-well or theunderlying portion of the semiconductor substrate 10.

An example of a specific process that can be used to form an illustratedrecess 105 will now be described.

First, a shallow trench is formed adjacent the sides of the gateelectrode 121 by dry etching the substrate 10 (isotropically oranisotropically) using the gate electrode 121, the spacer 130 and thedevice isolation layer 20 as an etch mask. In this process, HCl, Cl₂ andH₂ may be used as etch gas.

Subsequently, the trench is expanded by isotropically etching thesubstrate, to complete the recess 105. In this isotropic etchingprocess, an organic alkali etchant (e.g., tetra-methylammonium-hydroxide (TMAH)) or ammonium hydroxide (NH₄OH) is used as anetchant. As a result, the substrate 10 is etched not only in thevertical direction but also in the horizontal direction. Accordingly, aportion of the semiconductor substrate 10 under the spacer 130 is etchedwhen the recess 105 is formed.

In particular, in the case in which the semiconductor substrate 10 is asilicon substrate and is wet etched using ammonium hydroxide (NH₄OH) asan etchant, the etching rate of the silicon substrate 111 is lowest in ahorizontal direction and is highest in a vertical direction normal tothe (100) plane. Accordingly, a respective (111) plane defining eachside of the recess 105 adjacent the gate electrode 121 will be left. Asa result, a tapered structure is located beneath the gate electrode 121between the sides of the recess each delimited by a respective (111)plane, i.e., the structure has a wedge-shaped cross-sectional area.

Also, in this case, the etching processes may create surface defectswithin the recess 105. Accordingly, after the recess 105 has beenformed, the substrate may be cleaned with O₃ and HF to remove anysurface defects.

In another example, the recess adjacent the sides of the gate electrode121 may be formed only by an anisotropic dry etching process. As aresult, the bottom surface delimiting the bottom of the recess isparallel to the upper surface of the semiconductor substrate 10, and thefirst and second side surfaces delimiting the respective sides of therecess adjacent the gate electrode have an angle of a little more than90° with respect to the bottom surface. More specifically, the bottomsurface of the recess 105 may be a (100) plane and the first and secondside surfaces may be constituted by a (110) plane or a (311) plane.

The recess adjacent the gate electrode 121 may also be formed by achemical vapor etching (CVE) process. For example, the recess adjacentthe gate electrode 121 may be formed by a CVE process using HCl and H₂as etch gas.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 6, a selective epitaxial growth (SEG)process is performed to form an SiGe epitaxial layer 150 in the recess105 (S50). Note, at this time, the heavily-doped region 143, whichsurrounds the recess 105, isolates the epitaxial layer 150 with respectto the N-well of the semiconductor substrate 10.

The SEG process, as the name implies, allows for the SiGe epitaxiallayer 150 to be selectively grown, in this case only on the surfaces ofthe semiconductor substrate 10 exposed by the recess 105, i.e., withoutbeing formed on the device isolation layer 20. The epitaxial layerformed in the recess 105 has the same crystalline structure as thesemiconductor substrate 10 because the semiconductor substrate 10 servesas a seed layer in the SEG process.

According to the example of this embodiment in which the transistorbeing formed is a PMOS transistor, the silicon of the epitaxial layer isprovided with germanium, through a doping process, to improve theperformance of the PMOS transistor. Germanium has a lattice constantgreater than that of the silicon of the semiconductor substrate 10. Thatis, in this embodiment, the layer formed in the recess 105 is of asemiconductor material that has a lattice constant greater than that ofthe semiconductor substrate 10 while having the same crystallinestructure as the material of the semiconductor substrate 10. Forexample, the epitaxial layer may be formed of silicon germanium(Si_(1-x)Ge_(x), x: 0.1˜0.9), wherein the lattice constant of thesilicon germanium is greater than the lattice constant of Si and lessthan the lattice constant of Ge.

As the silicon is doped, the Si atoms in the silicon lattice arereplaced with the Ge atoms. Hence, the lattice expands because thelattice constant of Ge is greater than the lattice constant of Si.Accordingly, the SiGe epitaxial layer 150 imparts a compressive stressin the channel region of the PMOS transistor. The stress imparted to thechannel region is especially great because the segments of the SiGeepitaxial layer 150 having portions located beneath the spacer 130 havea wedge-shaped profile. Furthermore, the compressive stress is alsoapplied to the gate electrode 121.

The SEG process for forming the SiGe epitaxial layer 150 a may beimplemented using solid phase epitaxy (SPE), vapor phase epitaxy (VPE)and/or a liquid phase epitaxy (LPE). A chemical vapor deposition (CVD)process, a reduced pressure chemical vapor deposition (RPCVD) process oran ultra high vacuum chemical vapor deposition process may be used inthe case in which the SEG process is carried out by VPE.

Also, in an example of the SEG process of this embodiment, the SiGeepitaxial layer 150 is formed by exposing the substrate 10 to siliconsource gas, germanium source gas, and selective etch gas simultaneously.The silicon source gas may comprise monochlorosilane (SiH₃Cl),dichlorosilane (DCS), trichlorosilane (TCS), hexachlorosilane (HCS),SiH₄, Si₂H₆, or a combination thereof. The germanium source gas maycomprise GeH₄, Ge₂H₄, GeH₃C1, Ge₂H₂Cl₂, Ge₃HCl₃, or a combinationthereof. The selective etch gas may comprise HCl, Cl₂, or a combinationthereof. Also, carrier gas may be supplied together with the source gasto uniformly supply the source gas to the surface of the semiconductorsubstrate 10 during the selective epitaxial process. The carrier gas mayinclude at least one of hydrogen, helium, nitrogen and argon. Also, theselective growth process may be performed at a temperature of at leastabout 550° C. or greater under a pressure of at least several mTorr.

In general, the growth rate of the SiGe epitaxial layer 150 depends onthe ratio of the silicon source gas to the germanium source gas.Moreover, the rate at which the SiGe epitaxial layer 150 grows in aparticular direction is dependent on the orientation of the underlyingcrystal plane of the Si seed layer. In this case, the SiGe epitaxiallayer 150 grows significantly more quickly in the horizontal directionthan in the vertical direction because the SiGe epitaxial layer 150grows in the (100) direction of the lattice of the silicon substratewhile hardly growing in the (110), (111) or (311) directions.

The compressive stress on the channel region is proportional to thethickness of the SiGe epitaxial layer 150. Thus, in this embodiment, asshown in FIG. 6, the SiGe epitaxial layer 150 is formed to project abovethe level of the upper surface of the active region of the semiconductorsubstrate 10. For example, the top surface 150 t of the SiGe epitaxiallayer 150 may be disposed above the level of the upper surface of thegate insulating layer 111. In an example of this embodiment, the topsurface 150 t of the SiGe epitaxial layer 150 is about 10 nm to about 40nm above the upper surface of the active region of the semiconductorsubstrate 10. Thus, the SiGe epitaxial layer 150 imparts morecompressive stress to the channel region than if it were formed flushwith the upper surface of the active region.

Also, in an example of this embodiment, the upper portion of the SiGeepitaxial layer 150 has a higher concentration of Ge than its lowerportion. The lower portion of the epitaxial layer 150, with itsrelatively low concentration of Ge, minimizes the lattice mismatchbetween the epitaxial layer 150 and the semiconductor substrate 10formed of silicon. As an example of this, the lower portion of theepitaxial layer may have a thickness of about 20 nm to about 50 nm, andmay have a Ge concentration of about 10% to about 30%, whereas the upperportion of the epitaxial layer may have a thickness of about 40 nm toabout 60 nm, and may have a Ge concentration of about 20% to about 50%.In this way, a relatively great compressive stress can be applied to thechannel region because the upper portion of the epitaxial layer 150 canhave a high concentration of Ge.

The epitaxial layer 150 is also doped with a p-type dopant (e.g., boron(B)). The doping may be performed in situ, i.e., during the forming ofthe SiGe epitaxial layer 150. Alternatively, the p-type dopant may beion-implanted after the SEG process has been performed. In any case, thep-type doped epitaxial layer constitutes a source/drain region of thePMOS transistor together with the lightly-doped and heavily-dopedregions 141 and 143.

In the embodiment described above, the SiGe epitaxial layer 150 contactsthe lightly-doped and heavily-doped regions 141 and 143. Accordingly,the p-type SiGe epitaxial layer 150, which has a small band gap, doesnot directly contact the N− well. Therefore, leakage current at theinterface between the semiconductor substrate 10 and the SiGe epitaxiallayer 150 is suppressed.

The resulting SiGe epitaxial layer 150 extends laterally toward the gateelectrode 121. For example, the SiGe epitaxial layer 150 has awedge-shaped portion that extends under the spacer 130. In particular,as described above, the growth rate of the SiGe epitaxial layer 150differs amongst the directions in the SiGe lattice. Due to thischaracteristic of the SEG process, inclined surfaces 150 s are producedin the portion of the SiGe epitaxial layer 150 which is formed above theupper surface of the substrate in the upper region. More specifically,the SiGe epitaxial layer 150 may have a bottom surface, and an upperportion having a top surface 150 t and side surfaces 150 s inclinedrelative to the top surface 150 t.

In this case, the bottom surface and the top surface 150 t of the SiGeepitaxial layer 150 are parallel to the upper surface of the activeregion of the semiconductor substrate 10. That is, if the upper surfaceof the active region of the semiconductor substrate 10 is a (100) planeof the crystal lattice, the bottom surface and the top surface 150 t ofthe SiGe epitaxial layer 150 are planes parallel to the (100) plane. Theinclined surfaces 150 s of the SiGe epitaxial layer 150 subtendpredetermined obtuse angles with respect to the bottom surface or thetop surface 150 t. For example, if the upper surface of the activeregion of the semiconductor substrate 10 is a (100) plane of thelattice, the inclined surfaces 150 s may be parallel to a (111) plane, a(110) plane or a (311) plane.

Furthermore, although the inclined surfaces 150 s are illustrated asbeing located entirely above the level of the upper surface of theactive region of the semiconductor substrate 10, portions of theinclined surfaces 150 s of the SiGe epitaxial layer 150 may extend underthe upper surface of the active region. In this case, a groove may beformed between the device isolation layer 20 and the recess 105 toaccommodate the lower ends of the inclined surface 150 s of the SiGeepitaxial layer 150.

Referring still to FIGS. 1, 2 and 6, a selective epitaxial growth (SEG)process is performed to form an Si epitaxial layer 160 on the SiGeepitaxial layer 150 (S60).

The Si epitaxial layer 160 is grown only on the SiGe epitaxial layer150, i.e., the Si epitaxial layer 160 is selectively grown, because itis formed using the SiGe epitaxial layer 150 as a seed layer. The Siepitaxial layer 160 may be formed in situ upon the completion of theprocess of forming the SiGe epitaxial layer 150.

Solid phase epitaxy (SPE), vapor phase epitaxy (VPE) and/or liquid phaseepitaxy (LPE) may be used to form the Si epitaxial layer 160. In thecase in which a VPE process is used as the SEG process for forming theSi epitaxial layer 160, the VPE process can be realized by means of achemical vapor deposition (CVD) process, a reduced pressure chemicalvapor deposition (RPCVD) process or an ultra high vacuum chemical vapordeposition process.

The growth and etching rates of the Si material during the SEG processof forming Si epitaxial layer 160 differ amongst the respective crystalplanes and directions of the underlying lattice. When an SEG process isused to form the Si epitaxial layer 160, the growth and etching rates ofthe Si epitaxial layer 160 may differ amongst different crystal planesconstituting the surface of the underlying lattice. Specifically, thegrowth rate of the Si epitaxial layer 160 is highest on the (100) planeand lowest on the (111) plane, whereas the etching rate of the Siepitaxial layer 160 is lowest on the (100) plane and highest on the(110) plane. Accordingly, if the silicon source gas and the etch gas aresimultaneously supplied to form the Si epitaxial layer 160, the layergrows mainly in the vertical direction from the top surface 150 t of theSiGe epitaxial layer 150 (the (100) plane) and significantly less sofrom the inclined surface 150 s of the SiGe epitaxial layer 150.Therefore, as illustrated in the drawings, an Si epitaxial layer 160′could very well be formed on only the top surface 150 t of the SiGeepitaxial layer 150 while the inclined surfaces 150 s of the SiGeepitaxial layer 150 remain exposed.

However, according to the first embodiment of the inventive concepts,the Si epitaxial layer 160 completely caps the portion of the SiGeepitaxial layer 150 that projects above the level of the upper surfaceof the semiconductor substrate 10. For instance, the Si epitaxial layer160 covers the top surface 150 t and the inclined surfaces 150 s of theSiGe epitaxial layer 150. The Si epitaxial layer 160 is, for example,about 10 nm to about 30 nm thick on the top surface 150 t of the SiGeepitaxial layer 150. Moreover, the Si epitaxial layer 160 is thicker onthe top surface 150 t of the SiGe epitaxial layer 150 than on theinclined surfaces 150 s of the SiGe epitaxial layer 150. Also, thethickness of the Si epitaxial layer 160 may decrease toward the deviceisolation layer 20.

A technique of forming the Si epitaxial layer 160 so that it completelycaps the exposed portion of the SiGe epitaxial layer 150 will bedescribed later on in detail with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12 and FIGS.13A to 13D.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, 7 and 8, silicide layers 171 and 173 are formedon the source/drain region and the gate electrode 121, respectively,after the Si epitaxial layer 160 has been formed (S70). In this exampleof the first embodiment, the gate electrode 121 is of doped polysilicon.Also, the proportion of the silicon and metal elements in the silicidelayer 171 may be about 90% or more. Furthermore, as mentioned above,preferably, the Si epitaxial layer 160 completely caps the portion ofthe SiGe epitaxial layer 150 that projects above the level of the uppersurface of the semiconductor substrate 10. In this case, it is possibleto prevent the metal layer used for forming the silicide layer 171 fromcontacting the SiGe epitaxial layer 150. Also, it is possible to preventthe metal layer from infiltrating to the semiconductor substrate 10along the interface between the device isolation layer 20 and the SiGeepitaxial layer 150 where the metal could react with the semiconductorsubstrate 10.

Referring to FIG. 7, first the capping pattern 123 on the gate electrode121 is removed, and a metal layer 170 is conformally formed on thesemiconductor substrate 10. Thus, the metal layer 170 covers the topsurface of the gate electrode 121 and the surface of the Si epitaxiallayer 160. The metal layer 170 may be formed of a refractory metal suchas cobalt, titanium, nickel, tungsten or molybdenum.

Subsequently, a thermal treatment process is performed to cause thesilicon of the Si epitaxial layer 160 and the gate electrode 121 toreact with the metal of layer 170. In an exemplary embodiment, thethermal treatment process comprises heating the substrate at atemperature of about 250° C. to about 800° C. In this respect, a rapidthermal process (RTP) device or furnace may be used to execute thethermal treatment process.

As a result of the thermal treatment process, silicon of the gateelectrode 121 and the Si epitaxial layer 160 is consumed and thesilicide layers 171 and 173 are formed. That is, a portion or the entireSi epitaxial layer 160 may be converted into the silicide layer 171, andan upper portion of the gate electrode 173 is converted into thesilicide layer 173. If the entire Si epitaxial layer 160 reacts with themetal layer 170, the silicide layer 171 contacts the top surface 150 tand the inclined surfaces 150 s of the SiGe epitaxial layer 150.Alternatively, if only a portion of the Si epitaxial layer 160 reactswith the metal layer 170, an Si epitaxial layer remains between thesilicide layer 171 and the SiGe epitaxial layer 150. In any case, asillustrated in FIG. 8, silicide layer 171 is formed on the SiGeepitaxial layer 150 and silicide layer 173 is formed on the gateelectrode 121.

Thus, as can be seen in FIG. 8, first and second epitaxial regionscomprising germanium are located in a surface of the active region ofthe substrate 10 on respective opposite sides of the gate electrodestructure, first and second silicide layers 171 are located on the firstand second epitaxial regions, respectively, and at least a portion ofeach of the first and second silicide layers 171 is devoid of germanium,and comprises silicon and either a metal or metal alloy.

According to an example of this embodiment, the metal layer 170 is anickel layer, formed of pure nickel or a nickel alloy. In the case ofnickel alloy, the metal layer 170 may contain at least one materialselected from the group consisting of tantalum (Ta), zirconium (Zr),titanium (Ti), hafnium (Hf), tungsten (W), cobalt (Co), platinum (Pt),molybdenum (Mo), palladium (Pd), vanadium (V) and niobium (Nb).

Now, if the Si epitaxial layer had been locally formed only on the topsurface 150 t of the SiGe epitaxial layer 150 (as was described withreference to FIG. 6 vis-à-vis layer 160′), the metal layer 160 woulddirectly cover the inclined surfaces 150 s of the SiGe epitaxial layer150. If the metal layer were formed of nickel, the nickel would reactwith the silicon substrate 10 at the interface between the deviceisolation layer 20 and the SiGe epitaxial layer 150 during the thermaltreatment process because the reaction rate of silicon and nickel ishigher than the reaction rate of silicon germanium and nickel.Accordingly, the resulting nickel silicide layer would encroach upon thesemiconductor substrate 10 adjacent to the SiGe epitaxial layer 150. Thenickel silicide layer would thus facilitate junction leakage current andthereby degrade the breakdown voltage characteristics of the PMOStransistor.

However, according to an aspect of the inventive concepts, the Siepitaxial layer 160 covers the top surface 150 t and the inclinedsurface 150 s of the SiGe epitaxial layer 150. Therefore, the metallayer 170 (i.e., the nickel layer) is spaced apart from the SiGeepitaxial layer 150 and the semiconductor substrate 10 as illustrated inFIG. 7. Accordingly, the nickel silicide layer 171 formed on thesemiconductor substrate 10, as the end result of the thermal treatmentprocess, does not encroach upon the semiconductor substrate 10. Also,because the metal layer 170 is prevented from reacting with the SiGeepitaxial layer 150 when the silicide layer 171 is formed, there is noincrease in contact resistance in the source/drain region.

Finally, in the example in which the silicide layer 171 is a nickelsilicide layer, the silicide layer 171 may be a layer of NiSi, NiSi₂,Ni₃Si₂, Ni₂Si or Ni₃₁Si₁₂. Also, the silicide layer 171 may have acomposition of Ni_(x)Si_(1-x) (0≦x≦1). An advantage of forming thesilicide layer 171 of nickel silicide is that nickel silicide has alower resistivity than cobalt silicide and titanium silicide and isformed by reacting nickel with silicon at a lower temperature than thetemperature necessary to cause cobalt or titanium to react with silicon.

After the thermal treatment process, a wet etching process is performedto remove any un-silicided un-reacted metal. The wet etching process mayuse a solution of sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄) and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) asan etchant.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 9, a contact plug 190 connected to thesilicide layer 171 is formed after the silicide layers 171 and 173 areformed.

More specifically, a conformal etch stop layer 180 may be formed on thesemiconductor substrate 10. The etch stop layer 180 may comprise asilicon nitride layer or a silicon oxynitride layer. Next, an interlayerdielectric (ILD) 185 is formed on the semiconductor substrate 10. Theinterlayer dielectric 185 may be formed of O₃-TEOS (O₃-Tetra EthylOrthoSilicate), USG (Undoped Silicate Glass), PSG (PhosphoSilicateGlass), BSG (Borosilicate Glass), BPSG (BorophosphoSilicate Glass), FSG(Fluoride Silicate Glass), SOG (Spin On Glass), TOSZ (Tonen SilaZene),or a combination thereof. Also, the interlayer dielectric 185 may beformed by a CVD process or a spin coating process. The structure may beplanarized after the interlayer dielectric 185 has been formed.

Contact holes exposing the silicide layer 171 are then formed in theinterlayer dielectric 185. The contact holes can be formed by forming amask on the interlayer dielectric 185, and anisotropically etching theinterlayer dielectric 185 using the mask as an etch mask.

Subsequently, the contact holes are filled with a conductive material toform contact plugs 190. The contact plugs 190 are preferably formed of alow-resistivity metal material. For example, the contact plugs 190 maybe formed of at least one metal layer (e.g., at least one of a cobaltlayer, a titanium layer, a nickel layer, a tungsten layer and amolybdenum layer) and a conductive metal nitride layer (e.g., a titaniumnitride layer, a tantalum nitride layer, a tungsten nitride layer or atitanium aluminum nitride layer). Furthermore, a metal barrier layer maybe formed before the contact plugs 190 to prevent the diffusion of themetal material of the contact plugs 190. In this case, the metal barrierlayer may comprise a conductive metal nitride layer such as a tungstennitride (WN) layer, a tantalum nitride (TiN) layer or a titanium nitride(TaN) layer.

Note, although contact plugs 190 are shown as respectively connected tothe gate silicide layer 173 and each silicide layer 171, a semiconductordevice according to the inventive concepts may have various otherarrangements of the contact plugs 190.

Referring to FIG. 11, the forming of the Si epitaxial layer 160includes: alternately supplying silicon source gas (S1) and selectiveetch gas (S2) into a processing chamber, in which the semiconductorsubstrate 10 is disposed, as a cycle of operations; and then repeatingthe cycle at least once. The silicon source gas may comprisemonochlorosilane (SiH₃C1), dichlorosilane (DCS), trichlorosilane (TCS),hexachlorosilane (HCS), SiH₄, Si₂H₆, or a combination thereof. Theselective etch gas may comprise HCl, Cl₂, or a combination thereof.Also, carrier gas may be supplied together with the silicon source gasso that the silicon source gas is uniformly dispersed over thesemiconductor substrate 10. In this case, the carrier gas may compriseat least one of hydrogen, helium, nitrogen and argon. Also, the Siepitaxial layer 160 may be grown by conducting the process at atemperature of about 550° C. to about 700° C. under a pressure ofseveral mTorr or less.

More specifically, and referring FIGS. 11 and 13A, the silicon sourcegas is supplied to the semiconductor substrate 10 on which the SiGeepitaxial layer 150 and the device isolation layer 20 have been formed(S1). In an example of this embodiment, a silane not including achloride (e.g., SiH₄ and Si₂H₆) is used as the silicon source gas. Thesilane dissolves at about 650° C. into silicon atoms. At this time, theepitaxial layer is not etched because the dissolution of the silane doesnot produce any by-product corrosive to the epitaxial layer, such as ahydrogen chloride (HCl).

The silicon atoms generated by dissolving the silicon source gas bondwith the surfaces of the device isolation layer 20 and the SiGeepitaxial layer 150. Accordingly, silicon layers 31 and 32 are formed onthe surfaces of the device isolation layer 20 and the SiGe epitaxiallayer 150. Here, the bonding force between an Si atom and the SiGeepitaxial layer 150 is stronger than the bonding force between adielectric layer and an Si atom. Thus, the silicon layer 31 formed onthe SiGe epitaxial layer 150 is thicker than the silicon layer 32 formedon the device isolation layer 20. Also, the silicon atoms may bond toonly parts of the surface of the device isolation layer 20 as shown inthe figure.

Meanwhile, as described above, because the growth rate of the Siepitaxial layer 160 depends on the crystal plane of the underlyinglattice, the thickness of the silicon layer 31 growing on the topsurface 150 t of the SiGe epitaxial layer 150 becomes different from thethickness of the silicon layer 31 growing on an inclined surface 150 sof the SiGe epitaxial layer 150. Specifically, the silicon layer 31 isthinner on the inclined surface 150 s of the SiGe epitaxial layer 150than on the top surface 150 t of the SiGe epitaxial layer 150 parallelto the upper surface of the semiconductor substrate 10.

Referring to FIGS. 11 and 13B, next, the supplying of the silicon sourcegas is stopped, and the selective etch gas is supplied (S2). Theselective etch gas comprises a halogen that will react with the siliconatoms. More specifically, when the selective etch gas is supplied to thesemiconductor substrate 10, chlorine atoms of the selective etch gasbond with the Si to separate the silicon atoms from the SiGe epitaxiallayer 150 and the device isolation layer 20. However, the Si on thedevice isolation layer 20 is removed by the etch gas more rapidly thanthe Si on the SiGe epitaxial layer 150 because the bonding force betweenthe device isolation layer 20 and the silicon atoms is weak. Thus, thesilicon layer 32 is removed from the device isolation layer 20, and thestructure is left with a silicon epitaxial layer 33 on the SiGeepitaxial layer 150. Furthermore, the flow rate and/or the supply timeof the selective etch gas is regulated to be lower than that of thesilicon source gas to ensure that the silicon layer 31 is not completelyremoved from the SiGe epitaxial layer 150 during the cycle.Subsequently, as illustrated in FIGS. 11 and 13C, the silicon source gasis again supplied, and new silicon atoms bond to the surfaces of thedevice isolation layer 20 and the silicon epitaxial layer 33.Accordingly, the thickness of the silicon layer on the SiGe epitaxiallayer 150 increases. Then, as illustrated in FIGS. 11 and 13D, theselective etch gas is supplied to remove all of the new silicon atomsfrom the device isolation layer 20, leaving another thickness 37 of thesilicon epitaxial layer on the SiGe epitaxial layer 150.

The cycle may be repeated until a silicon layer of a predeterminedthickness remains on the SiGe epitaxial layer 150.

In another technique illustrated in FIG. 12, the forming of the Siepitaxial layer 160 includes: supplying the silicon source gas (S1),supplying purge gas in a first purge operation (P1), supplying theselective etch gas (S2), and supplying purge gas in a second purgeoperation (P2) in the foregoing sequence, into a process chamber inwhich the semiconductor substrate 10 is disposed, as a cycle ofoperations; and then repeating the cycle at least once.

According to this technique, the first purge operation P1 is performedto remove any silicon atoms that have not bonded to the surfaces of thedevice isolation layer 20 and the SiGe epitaxial layer 150 after thesilicon source gas has been supplied. The purge gas may comprisehydrogen, helium, nitrogen or argon, and may be different from thecarrier gas. On the other hand, the second purge operation P2 isperformed to remove the by-products (e.g., SiCl₄ and SiCl₃) of thereaction between the silicon atoms and the chorine atoms of theselective etch gas. In this operation as well, the purge gas maycomprise hydrogen, helium, nitrogen or argon, and may be different fromthe carrier gas.

These techniques may be carried out using batch-type high-vacuum CVDequipment. Thus, the selective Si epitaxial layer growth process may beperformed on a plurality of semiconductor substrates 10 at a time.

Processes in a second embodiment of a method of fabricating asemiconductor device according to the inventive concepts are illustratedin FIGS. 14 to 16. Aspects of this embodiment, other than thosedescribed below, are similar to those of the first embodiment and hence,will not be described in detail for the sake of brevity. Mainly, though,this embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that a dielectricspacer 165 is formed on the device isolation layer 20 to cover one sideof the Si epitaxial layer 160 before a silicide process is performed.

Specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 14, after the Si epitaxial layer160 is formed, a dielectric layer is conformally formed on thesemiconductor substrate 10. The dielectric layer may comprise a siliconoxide layer, a silicon nitride layer, a silicon oxynitride layer, or acombination thereof.

Subsequently, a blanket anisotropic etching process (e.g., an etch-backprocess) is performed to etch the dielectric layer until the Siepitaxial layer 160 is exposed. Because the SiGe epitaxial layer 150 iselevated above the upper surface of the active region of thesemiconductor substrate 10, a dielectric spacer 165 is formed over theinclined surface 150 s of the SiGe epitaxial layer 150 at one side ofthe Si epitaxial layer 160. Similarly, the dielectric spacer 165 is alsoformed on one side of the gate spacer 130.

Referring to FIG. 15, a metal layer 170 is conformally formed on thesemiconductor substrate 10. Thus, the metal layer 170 covers the deviceisolation layer 20, the dielectric spacer 165, the Si epitaxial layer160, and the gate electrode 121. Also, only the top surface of the Siepitaxial layer 160 parallel to the upper surface of the semiconductorsubstrate 10 contacts the metal layer 170 because the side of the Siepitaxial layer 160 is covered by the dielectric spacer 165.

Subsequently, a thermal treatment process is performed to cause themetal layer 170 to react with the Si epitaxial layer 160 as describedwith reference to FIG. 7, thereby forming a silicide layer 171 on theSiGe epitaxial layer 150 as illustrated in FIG. 16. In this case, themetal material of layer 170 is prevented from reacting with thesemiconductor substrate 10 and the SiGe epitaxial layer 150 because theSi epitaxial layer 160 and the dielectric spacer 165 are disposedbetween the metal layer 170 and the inclined surface 150 s of the SiGeepitaxial layer 150. That is, it is possible to prevent an encroachmentof the nickel silicide layer 171 upon the semiconductor substrate 10.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the Si epitaxial layer 160 remains onthe inclined surfaces 150 s of the SiGe epitaxial layer 150, i.e., doesnot react there with the metal layer 170 during the siliciding process,because the metal layer 170 locally contacts only the top surface 160 tof the Si epitaxial layer 160. That is, the silicide layer 171 may belocally formed on the top surface 150 t of the SiGe epitaxial layer 150.

A third embodiment of a method of fabricating a semiconductor deviceaccording to the inventive concepts will now be described with referenceto FIGS. 17 to 20. Aspects of this embodiment, other than thosedescribed below, are similar to those of the first embodiment and hence,will not be described in detail for the sake of brevity.

Referring first to FIG. 17, an etch stop layer 180 and an interlayerdielectric 185 are sequentially formed on the semiconductor substrate 10after the Si epitaxial layer 160 has been formed. As was described withreference to FIG. 9, the etch stop layer 180 is conformally formed onthe semiconductor substrate 10. Also, the interlayer dielectric 185 isformed of dielectric material having good step coverage. Then, theinterlayer dielectric 185 is patterned to form contact holes exposingthe Si epitaxial layer 160. At this time, a contact hole may also beformed to expose the gate electrode 121.

Referring to FIG. 18, a metal layer 170 is conformally formed on theinterlayer dielectric 185 through which the contact holes have beenformed, and a thermal treatment process is performed to form silicidelayers 171 and 173.

In this embodiment, only that portion of the Si epitaxial layer 160exposed by a contact hole reacts with the metal layer 170 to form thesilicide layer 171. That is, the silicide layer 171 is locally formed onthe top surface 150 t of the SiGe epitaxial layer 150, and an Siepitaxial layer 160 remains on the inclined surfaces 150 s of the SiGeepitaxial layer 150.

Next, the metal layer 170 not reacting with the Si epitaxial layer 160on the interlayer dielectric 185 is removed, and the contact holes arefilled with a conductive material to form contact plugs 190 contactingthe silicide layer as illustrated in FIG. 19.

Meanwhile, as illustrated in FIG. 20, due to an alignment error in theprocess of forming the contact holes, the contact holes may expose theinclined surfaces 150 s of the SiGe epitaxial layer 150. If the Siepitaxial layer were selectively formed on the top surface 150 t of theSiGe epitaxial layer 150 (refer to an illustration of this case depictedby layer 160′ in FIG. 6), the inclined surface 150 s of the SiGeepitaxial layer 150 would be exposed by the contact hole. In this case,in the silicide process, the metal layer 170 would directly contact theSiGe epitaxial layer 150, the metal layer 170 would infiltrate betweenthe SiGe epitaxial layer 150 and the device isolation layer 20, andhence the metal layer would react with the semiconductor substrate 10during the siliciding process.

However, in this embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 20, even in the caseof an alignment error in which the contact holes are aligned with theinclined surface 150 s of the SiGe epitaxial layer 150, the metal layer170 is prevented from reacting with the SiGe epitaxial layer 150 or thesemiconductor substrate 10 because the inclined surface 150 s of theSiGe epitaxial layer 150 is covered by the Si epitaxial layer 160.

A fourth embodiment of a method of fabricating a semiconductor deviceaccording to the inventive concepts will now be described with referenceto FIG. 21 and FIGS. 22 to 27.

In this embodiment, a CMOS device constituted by NMOS and PMOStransistors is formed. As was described above, the operatingcharacteristics of a PMOS transistor can be improved by improving themobility of holes in the channel region. Also, as was described above,the operating characteristics of an NMOS transistor may be improved byimproving the mobility of electrons in the channel region. When thechannel region of the NMOS transistor is formed lengthwise in any of the<110> directions, tensile stress applied to the channel region of theNMOS transistor improves the mobility of electrons through the channel.

Referring now to FIGS. 21 and 22, a semiconductor substrate 10 includinga first region 100 for accommodating PMOS transistors and a secondregion 200 for accommodating NMOS transistors is provided (5110).

As described with respect to Embodiment 1, the semiconductor substrate10 may be a silicon substrate with a (100) plane. Furthermore, first andsecond active regions are respectively defined in the first and secondregions 100 and 200 by the device isolation layer 20. The semiconductorsubstrate 10 also includes n-type and p-type doped wells 101 and 201.For example, the first active region includes an n-type well 101 forPMOS transistors, and the second active region includes a p-type well201 for NMOS transistors.

Next, first gate electrodes 121 and second gate electrodes 221 areformed respectively on the first and second regions 100 and 200 (S120).For simplicity, reference may be made at times to only one of the firstgate electrodes and only one of the second gate electrodes hereafter.

The first and second gate electrodes are formed by sequentially forminga gate insulating layer, a gate conductive layer and a capping layer onthe first and second regions 100 and 200 and patterning the resultingstack of layers. Herein, the first and second gate insulating layers 111and 211 may comprise a silicon oxide layer, a silicon nitride layer, asilicon oxynitride layer, a high-k dielectric layer, or a combinationthereof. Thus, a first gate structure having a first gate insulatinglayer 111, the first gate electrode 121 and a first capping layer 123 isformed on the first region 100, and a second gate structure having asecond gate insulating layer 211, the second gate electrode 221 and asecond capping layer 223 is formed on the second region 200. The firstand second gate electrodes 121 and 221 may each be of n-type or p-typedoped polysilicon (poly-Si). Alternatively, the first and second gateelectrodes 121 and 221 may each be of a metal material.

Subsequently, a first spacer 130 a is formed on opposite sidewalls ofthe first gate electrode 121, and a first spacer 230 a is formed onopposite sidewalls of the second gate electrode 221. Specifically, adielectric layer is formed on the semiconductor substrate 10, and then ablanket anisotropic etching process (e.g., an etch-back process) isperformed to form the first spacers 130 a and 230 a. The first spacers130 a and 230 a may be formed by sequentially forming an oxide layer anda nitride layer and etching back the oxide layer and the nitride layer.In this case, each of the first spacers 130 a and 230 a includesL-shaped lower spacer elements and upper spacer elements. The oxidelayer cures the sidewalls of the first and second gate electrodes 121and 221 of any damage which may have occurred when the layers werepatterned to form the first and second gate electrodes 121 and 221. Inaddition, the oxide layer can serve as a buffer between the nitridelayer and the first and second gate electrodes 121 and 221.

Next, p-type doped regions are formed at both sides of the first gateelectrode 121, and n-type doped regions are formed at both sides of thesecond gate electrode 221. In an example of this embodiment, the n-typeand p-type doped regions each include lightly-doped and heavily-dopedregions.

Specifically, the first region 100 is covered by a mask and an n-typedopant (e.g., As) is ion-implanted into the semiconductor substrate 10at both sides of the second gate electrode 221 to form an n-typelightly-doped region 241. Subsequently, a p-type channel doped regionmay be formed under the second gate electrode 221 to prevent apunch-through phenomenon.

Then, the second region 200 is covered by a mask and a p-type dopant(e.g., B) is ion-implanted into the semiconductor substrate 10 at bothsides of the first gate electrode 121 to form a p-type lightly-dopedregion 141. Thereafter, an n-type channel doped region may be formedunder the first gate electrode 121 to prevent a punch-throughphenomenon.

Referring to FIG. 23, a second spacer 130 b is formed on both sides ofthe first gate electrode 121, and a second spacer 230 b is formed onboth sides of the second gate electrode 221. Specifically, a dielectriclayer is deposited on the semiconductor substrate 10, and then a blanketanisotropic etching process (e.g., an etch-back process) is performed toform the second spacers 130 b and 230 b. Similar to the process offorming the first spacers 130 a and 230 a, the second spacers 130 b and230 b may be formed by sequentially forming an oxide layer and a nitridelayer and etching back the oxide layer and the nitride layer.Accordingly, the second spacers 130 b and 230 b may each includeL-shaped lower spacer elements and upper spacer elements.

Next, n-type and p-type heavily-doped regions 143 and 243 are formed.The second spacers 130 b and 230 b serve to increase the distancebetween adjacent ones of the heavily-doped regions 143 and adjacent onesof the heavily-doped regions 243. Thus, the second spacers 130 b and 230b act as a means to ensure that the resulting transistors are not proneto experiencing a short channel effect.

Similar to the processes of forming the lightly-doped regions 141 and241, the respective processes of forming the heavily-doped regions 143and 243 may be performed sequentially on the first and second regions200. That is, the first region 100 is covered by a mask and an n-typedopant (e.g., As) is ion-implanted into the semiconductor substrate 10at both sides of the second gate electrode 221 to form n-typeheavily-doped regions 243. Then, the second region 200 is covered by amask and a p-type dopant (e.g., B) is ion-implanted into thesemiconductor substrate 10 at both sides of the first gate electrode 121to form p-type heavily-doped regions 143.

Referring to FIGS. 21 and 24, a recess 105 is formed to a predetermineddepth in the semiconductor substrate 10 at both sides of the gateelectrode 121 (S140). Note, the depth to which the dopant is implantedin the forming of the p-type heavily-doped regions 143 is predeterminedto be greater than the depth of the recess 105. Thus, as was describedabove, the p-type heavily-doped regions 143 prevent the recess 105 fromexposing the N-well 101 and therefore serve to prevent leakage currentthrough defects formed on the surfaces delimiting the recess 105.

The recess 105 is formed by covering the second region 200 with a mask302 and then, as was described with reference to FIG. 5, the substrate10 is etched using the first gate electrode 121, the first and secondspacers 130 b and 230 b and the device isolation layer 20 as an etchmask.

In this embodiment, the recess 105 is formed between the deviceisolation layer 20 and an adjacent first gate electrode 121 and betweenadjacent ones of the first gate electrodes 121. Also, as is clear fromthe description of FIG. 5, the recess 105 may be defined by a bottomsurface parallel to the upper surface of the active region of thesubstrate 10, and first and second side surfaces adjacent to a firstgate electrode 121 and inclined (at an obtuse angle) relative to thebottom surface. Again reference may be made to the description of FIG. 5for other aspects and features of the recess.

Referring to FIGS. 21 and 25, an SiGe epitaxial layer 150 is grown inthe recess 105 (S150).

The SiGe epitaxial layer 150 is formed by a selective epitaxial growthprocess. For all aspects of this process and characteristics of theresulting SiGe epitaxial layer 150, reference may be had to thedescription of FIG. 6.

In this embodiment, the segment of the SiGe epitaxial layer 150 grownbetween adjacent ones of the first gate electrodes 121 is confinedbetween the second spacers 130 b on the confronting sidewalls of theadjacent ones of the first gate electrodes 121. Thus, the segment of theSiGe epitaxial layer 150 grown between the adjacent first gateelectrodes 121 contacts the second spacers 130 b. More specifically,inclined surfaces 150 s of the upper portion of the SiGe epitaxial layer150, which projects above the level of the upper surface of the activeregion of the semiconductor substrate 10, contact the second spacers 130b.

Subsequently, a selective epitaxial growth process is performed to forman Si epitaxial layer 160 on the SiGe epitaxial layer 150 (S160). Thisprocess is performed in any of the manners described above withreference to FIGS. 12 to 17.

Referring to FIGS. 21 and 26, silicide layers 171, 173, 271 and 273 areformed in the first and second regions 100 and 200 (S170).

Specifically, the mask 302 covering the second region 200 is removed.Also, in the case in which the first and second gate electrodes 121 and221 are formed of doped polysilicon, the capping patterns 123 and 121are removed. Subsequently, a metal layer is conformally formed over theentirety of the first and second regions 100 and 200, and a thermaltreatment process is performed on the resulting structure. As wasdescribed above, the metal layer is preferably a nickel layer. As aresult of the thermal treatment process, the metal layer reacts with theSi epitaxial layers 160 on the first region 100, the first and secondgate electrodes 121 and 221, and the doped regions 243 of the secondregion 200. Accordingly, the silicide layers 171 and 271 are formed onthe SiGe epitaxial layer 150 on the first region 100 and the dopedregions 243 of the second region 200, and the gate silicide layers 173and 273 are formed on the first and second gate electrodes 121 and 221.Also, any part of the metal layer which has not reacted with the siliconmay be removed after the thermal treatment process.

Referring to FIGS. 21 and 27, contact plugs 190 and 290 connected to thesilicide layers 171, 173, 271 and 273 are then formed.

Specifically, an etch stop layer 180 and an interlayer dielectric 185are sequentially formed on the semiconductor substrate 10 as describedwith reference to FIG. 9. Furthermore, a stress-inducing layer,including internal stress, may be formed on the second region 200 of thesemiconductor substrate 10 before the interlayer dielectric 185 isformed. The stress in the layer is “memorized” as compressive stress bythe source and drain regions at opposite sides of the gate electrode 121such that tensile stress is imparted to the channel region of the NMOStransistor.

In any case, the etch stop layer 180 and the interlayer dielectric 185are patterned to form contact holes that expose the silicide layers 171,173, 271 and 273. Ideally, respective ones of the contact holes exposethose portions of the silicide layer 171 situated only on the topsurface 150 t of the SiGe epitaxial layer 150. Next, the contact holesare filled with conductive material to form contact plugs 190 and 290.FIG. 27 illustrates an example in which a respective contact plug isconnected to each silicide layer. However, other arrangements of thecontact plugs are possible within the scope of the inventive concepts.

However, the contact holes formed to expose the silicide layer 171 mayinstead be aligned with inclined surfaces 150 s of the SiGe epitaxiallayer 150. Nonetheless, the contact plugs that fill these contact holesdo not contact the SiGe epitaxial layer 150 because even the inclinedsurfaces 150 s of the SiGe epitaxial layer 150 are covered by thesilicide layer 171. Therefore, an increase in contact resistance isprevented.

In another example of this embodiment, the silicide process may beperformed after the interlayer dielectric 185 and contact holes havebeen formed, as described with reference to FIGS. 17 to 19. That is, inthis example, contact holes are formed in the interlayer dielectric 185,and the metal layer 170 is conformally formed on the interlayerdielectric 185. Then, the silicide layers 171, 173, 271 and 273 areformed by thermally treating the structure. In this case, only thoseportions of the Si epitaxial layer 160 on the first region 100 and dopedregions of the second region which were exposed by the contact holesreact with the metal layer to form a silicide. That is, the silicidelayers 171 and 271 are locally formed on the top surface 150 t of theSiGe epitaxial layer 150 and on the n-type heavily-doped region 243, andthe Si epitaxial layer may remain on the inclined surfaces 150 s of theSiGe epitaxial layer 150.

A fifth embodiment of a method of fabricating a semiconductor devicewill now be described with reference to FIGS. 28 and 29. Aspects of thisembodiment, other than those described below, are similar to those ofthe first and fourth embodiments and hence, will not be described indetail for the sake of brevity.

Basically, this method of fabricating a semiconductor device accordingto the inventive concepts is the same as that of fourth embodiment withthe exception of forming an SiC epitaxial layer 250 in the n-typesource/drain region of the NMOS transistor.

Specifically, the forming of the SiC epitaxial layer 250 at both sidesof the second gate electrode 221 includes: forming a trench in thesemiconductor substrate 10 at both sides of the second gate electrode221; and performing a selective epitaxial growth process to grow an SiClayer in the trench.

The trench may be formed by anisotropically etching the substrate 10using the second gate electrode 221 and the spacers as an etch mask. Atthis time, the first region 100 is covered with a mask.

The selective epitaxial growth process for forming the SiC epitaxiallayer 250 may be performed by simultaneously supplying silicon sourcegas, carbon source gas and selective etch gas to the substrate 10. Thesilicon source gas may comprise dichlorosilane (DCS), trichlorosilane(TCS), hexachlorosilane (HCS), SiH₄, Si₂H₆, or a combination thereof.The carbon source gas may comprise SiH₃CH₃, CH₄, C₂H₄, or a combinationthereof. The selective etch gas may comprise HCl, Cl₂, or a combinationthereof.

The lattice constant of carbon is smaller than the lattice constant ofsilicon. Therefore, the lattice of the substrate 10 at both sides of thesecond gate electrode 221 contracts when the SiC epitaxial layer 250 isformed. As a result of the contraction of the lattice, tensile stress isinduced in the channel region under the second gate electrode 221.Accordingly, the mobility of electrons in the channel under the secondgate electrode 221 is improved.

Also, in an example of this embodiment, the mask 302 may be removedafter the SiGe and SiC epitaxial layers 150 and 250 have been formed.The Si epitaxial layer 160 is then grown on not only the exposed of theSiGe epitaxial layer 150 but also on the exposed surface of the SiCepitaxial layer 250. Then, the siliciding process is performed so thatthe SiC epitaxial layer 250 is silicided as well. Thus, a semiconductordevice according to the inventive concepts may have first and secondepitaxial regions comprising carbon located on respective opposite sidesof a gate electrode structure (comprising gate electrode 221) in theactive region in region 200 of the substrate 10, and first and secondsilicide layers located on the first and second epitaxial regions,respectively, wherein at least a portion of each of the first and secondsilicide layers is devoid of carbon and comprises silicon and either ametal or metal alloy.

A sixth embodiment of a method of fabricating a semiconductor deviceaccording to the inventive concepts will now be described with referenceto FIG. 30 and FIGS. 31 to 34. Aspects of this embodiment, other thanthose described below, are similar to those of the previous embodimentsand hence, will not be described in detail for the sake of brevity. Inparticular, the sixth embodiment of the method of fabricating asemiconductor device is essentially the same as that of the first andfourth embodiments with the exception of the forming of the end gateelectrodes. In this embodiment, metal gate electrodes are formed afterthe silicide layers 171 and 271 have been formed in source/drainregions.

Referring to FIGS. 30 and 31, a metal layer is conformally formed on theentirety of the first and second regions 100 and 200 of the substrate10, and a thermal treatment process is performed on the resultingstructure. As a result, the metal layer reacts with the Si epitaxiallayer and the n-type doped regions. At this time, a silicide layer isnot formed on the first and second gate electrodes 121 and 221 becausethe first and second capping patterns 123 and 223 are interposed betweenthe metal layer and the first and second gate electrodes 121 and 221.Accordingly, silicide layers are formed only on the source/drain regionsof the NMOS and PMOS transistors.

An etch stop layer 180 and an interlayer dielectric 185 are thensequentially formed as described with reference to FIG. 9. In thisembodiment, the interlayer dielectric 185 may be formed to such athickness as to cover the first and second gate electrodes 121 and 221,and then is planarized.

Referring to FIG. 32, the first and second capping patterns 123 and 223and the first and second gate electrodes 121 and 221 are then removed toform openings 186 that expose first and second gate insulating layers111 and 211. The first and second gate electrodes 121 and 221 can beremoved by a wet etching process using an etchant having an etchselectivity with respect to first spacers 130 a and 230 a and the firstand second gate electrodes 121 and 221.

Referring to FIG. 33, metal gate electrodes 187 and 287 are formed inthe openings 186. The forming of the metal gate electrodes 187 and 287may include: forming a metal layer on the interlayer dielectric 185 tosuch a thickness as to overfill the openings 186 using a depositionprocess having good step coverage; and planarizing the metal layer toexpose the interlayer dielectric 185. In this respect, the metal gateelectrodes 187 and 287 may be formed of a metal layer and/or a metalnitride layer. Examples of the metal layers include aluminum, tungstenand molybdenum layers and examples of conductive metal nitride layersinclude titanium nitride, tantalum nitride, tungsten nitride, andtitanium aluminum nitride layers. Also, a metal barrier layer may beformed on the sides of the opening before the metal layer has beenformed to prevent the diffusion of the metal material of the layer. Forexample, the metal barrier layer may comprise a conductive metal nitridelayer such as a tungsten nitride (WN) layer, a tantalum nitride (TiN)layer or a titanium nitride (TaN) layer.

Contact plugs 190 and 290 connected to the silicide layers 171 and 271are then formed as illustrated in FIG. 34.

In another example of this embodiment, the silicide process is performedafter the contact holes have been formed. Accordingly, as illustrated inFIG. 35, only that portion of the Si epitaxial layer exposed by acontact hole reacts with the metal layer to form silicide layers 175 and275. That is, the silicide layers 175 and 275 are locally formed on thetop surface 150 t of the SiGe epitaxial layer 150 and on the n-typeheavily-doped region 143, and an Si epitaxial layer remains on theinclined surfaces of the upper portion of the SiGe epitaxial layer 150.

PMOS transistors according to the inventive concepts may be used in alogic circuit. For example, the PMOS transistors may constitute a CMOSinverter or an SRAM.

A CMOS inverter according to the inventive concepts will now bedescribed with reference to the circuit diagram of FIG. 36.

The CMOS inverter includes a PMOS transistor P1 and an NMOS transistorN1. The PMOS and NMOS transistors are connected in series between adriving voltage terminal Vdd and a ground voltage terminal, and a commoninput signal is inputted to the gates of the PMOS and NMOS transistors.A common output signal is outputted from the drains of the PMOS and NMOStransistors. Also, a driving voltage is applied to the source of thePMOS transistor, and a ground voltage is applied to the source of theNMOS transistor. The CMOS inverter inverts an input signal IN andoutputs the resulting signal as an output signal OUT. In other words,when a logic level ‘1’ is inputted as the inverter input signal, a logiclevel ‘0’ is outputted as the output signal. On the other hand, when alogic level ‘0’ is inputted as the inverter input signal, a logic level‘1’ is outputted as the output signal.

An SRAM including a CMOS device according to the inventive concepts willnow be described with reference to the circuit diagram of FIG. 37.

One cell in the SRAM includes first and second access transistors Q1 andQ2, first and second driving transistors Q3 and Q4, and first and secondload transistors Q5 and Q6. The sources of the first and second driving(pull-up) transistors Q3 and Q4 are connected to a ground line VSS, andthe sources of the first and second load (driver) transistors Q5 and Q6are connected to a power line VDD.

The first driving transistor Q3 including an NMOS transistor and thefirst load transistor Q5 including a PMOS transistor constitute a firstinverter. Likewise, the second driving transistor Q4 including an NMOStransistor and the second load transistor Q6 including a PMOS transistorconstitute a second inverter.

The output terminals of the first and second inverters are connected tothe sources of the first and second access transistors Q1 and Q2. Also,the input terminal of the first inverter and the output terminal of thesecond inverter are connected and conversely the input terminal of thesecond inverter and the output terminal of the first inverter areconnected to constitute a latch circuit. The drains of the first andsecond access transistors Q1 and Q2 are connected, respectively, tofirst and second bit lines BL and /BL.

As described above, according to the inventive concepts, an Si epitaxiallayer is formed on both the top surface and inclined surface of the SiGeepitaxial layer despite the fact that the growth rate of silicon isdependent on the crystal plane of the underlying lattice on which thesilicon is grown. Accordingly, the metal material of a metal layer usedto form a silicide is prevented from reacting with the SiGe epitaxiallayer. Also, the metal material is prevented from infiltrating along theboundary between the SiGe epitaxial layer and the device isolation layerin which case it would react with the semiconductor substrate.

The above-disclosed subject matter is to be considered illustrative andnot restrictive, and the appended claims are intended to cover all suchmodifications, enhancements, and other embodiments, which fall withinthe true spirit and scope of the inventive concepts. Thus, to themaximum extent allowed by law, the scope of the inventive concepts is tobe determined by the broadest permissible interpretation of thefollowing claims and their equivalents, and shall not be restricted orlimited by the foregoing detailed description.

What is claimed is:
 1. A semiconductor device, comprising: asemiconductor substrate; a gate electrode structure comprising a gateelectrode located on an active region of the semiconductor substrate;first and second epitaxial regions located in the active region atopposite sides of the gate electrode structure, respectively, the firstand second epitaxial regions comprising Si—X, where X is one ofgermanium and carbon; and first and second silicide layers on uppersurfaces of the first and second epitaxial regions, respectively,wherein at least a portion of each of the first and second silicidelayers is devoid of X and is comprised of Si—Y, where Y is a metal ormetal alloy.
 2. The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein Y isnickel, and the first and second silicide layers compriseNi_(x)Si_(1-x), where (0≦x≦1).
 3. The semiconductor device of claim 1,wherein X is germanium, and the semiconductor device is a PMOS device.4. The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein X is carbon, and thesemiconductor device is an NMOS device.
 5. The semiconductor device ofclaim 1, further comprising a silicon layer interposed between thesilicide layers and the epitaxial regions.
 6. The semiconductor deviceof claim 1, wherein the first and second epitaxial regions protrudeabove an upper surface of the active region.
 7. The semiconductor deviceof claim 6, wherein the first and second epitaxial regions each includea top surface parallel with the upper surface of the active region, andat least one inclined surface extending at a downward inclination fromthe top surface, wherein an obtuse angle is subtended by the top surfaceand the inclined surface.
 8. The semiconductor device of claim 7,wherein the silicide layers cover the top and inclined surfaces of theepitaxial regions.
 9. The semiconductor device of claim 7, wherein thesilicide layers cover the top surfaces of the first and second epitaxialregions, respectively, and further comprising silicon layers coveringthe inclined surfaces, respectively, of the epitaxial regions.
 10. Thesemiconductor device of claim 7, further comprising dielectric spacerscovering the silicon layers, respectively.
 11. The semiconductor deviceof claim 1, further comprising a gate silicide layer on the gateelectrode, and wherein the gate silicide layer and the first and secondsilicide layers have the same composition.
 12. The semiconductor deviceof claim 1, wherein the substrate has a well including a channel regionlocated beneath the gate electrode structure, and impurity regions whichisolate the epitaxial regions from the channel region.
 13. Thesemiconductor device of claim 12, wherein the well is an N-well and theimpurity regions comprise LDD structures.
 14. The semiconductor deviceof claim 1, wherein the semiconductor device is a PMOS device and theepitaxial regions each include an inclined side surface located belowthe upper surface of the active region and adjacent a side of the gateelectrode structure, the inclined surface extending downwardly at aninclination away from the gate electrode structure so as to lie in aplane that subtends an obtuse angle with the upper surface of the activeregion.
 15. The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein each of theepitaxial regions has an upper portion including a top surface that isdisposed parallel to and above the level of the upper surface of theactive region of the substrate, and an inclined surface which extendsdownwardly from the top surface and adjoins the inclined side surface ata location beneath the upper surface of the active region.
 16. Thesemiconductor device of claim 1, further comprising a device isolationlayer in the substrate and which demarcates the active region, andwherein each of the epitaxial regions has an upper portion including atop surface that is disposed parallel to and above the level of theupper surface of the active region of the substrate, and an inclinedsurface which extends downwardly from the top surface at an inclinationrelative to the top surface and adjoins the device isolation layer, andeach of the silicide layers has an upper portion that covers the topsurface and an inclined portion that covers the inclined surface, thethickness of the inclined portion of the silicide layer decreasing fromthe upper portion of the silicide layer towards the device isolationlayer.
 17. A semiconductor device, comprising: a substrate including afirst region and a second region; a device isolation layer in thesubstrate and which demarcates a first active region in the first regionof the substrate and a second active region in the second region of thesubstrate; a PMOS transistor disposed at the first region of thesubstrate, the PMOS transistor comprising a first gate electrode locatedon the first active region, first and second epitaxial regions locatedin the first active region at opposite sides of the first gateelectrode, respectively, the first and second epitaxial regions bothcomprising SiGe, and first and second silicide layers on upper surfacesof the first and second epitaxial regions, respectively, wherein atleast a portion of each of the first and second silicide layers isdevoid of germanium and comprises Si—Y, where Y is a metal or metalalloy; and an NMOS transistor disposed at the second region of thesubstrate and electrically connected to the PMOS.
 18. The semiconductordevice of claim 17, wherein Y is nickel, and the first and secondsilicide layers comprise Ni_(x)Si_(1-x), where (0≦x≦1).
 19. Thesemiconductor device of claim 17, wherein the first and second epitaxialregions protrude above the upper surface of the first active region. 20.The semiconductor device of claim 18, wherein the first and secondepitaxial regions each include a top surface parallel with the uppersurface of the first active region, and at least one inclined surfaceextending at a downward inclination from the top surface, wherein anobtuse angle is subtended by the top surface and the inclined surface.21. The semiconductor device of claim 17, wherein the NMOS transistorcomprises a second gate electrode located on the second active region ofthe semiconductor substrate, third and fourth epitaxial regions locatedin the second active region at opposite sides of the second gateelectrode, respectively, the third and fourth epitaxial regions of theNMOS transistor both comprising SiC, and third and fourth silicidelayers on upper surfaces of the third and fourth epitaxial regions,respectively, wherein at least a portion of each of the third and fourthsilicide layers is devoid of carbon and comprises Si—Y, where Y is ametal or metal alloy.
 22. A method of fabricating a semiconductordevice, comprising: forming a gate electrode structure comprising a gateelectrode on an active region of a substrate; forming first and secondepitaxial regions in the active region at opposite sides of the gateelectrode structure, respectively; forming a silicon layer on the firstand second epitaxial regions including by depositing silicon on each ofthe first and second epitaxial regions; and converting at least aportion of the silicon layer, on each of the first and second epitaxialregions, to a silicide.
 23. The method of claim 22, wherein the firstand second epitaxial are formed to protrude above an upper surface ofthe active region.
 24. The method of claim 22, wherein the substrate isa silicon substrate, and the forming of the first and second epitaxialregions comprises forming a recess in the substrate at both sides of thegate electrode, and epitaxially growing SiGe in the recess until theSiGe protrudes above an upper surface of the active region, wherein thefirst and second epitaxial regions each include a top upper surfacewhich is parallel to the upper surface of the active region, and atleast one inclined surface which extends downwardly from the uppersurface at an inclination relative to the top surface such that the topand inclined surfaces subtend an obtuse angle.
 25. The method of claim24, wherein the silicon layer is formed to cover the top and inclinedsurfaces of each of the first and second epitaxial regions.
 26. Themethod of claim 25, wherein the silicon layer is formed conformally withrespect to the top and inclined surfaces of the epitaxial regions suchthat the silicon layer has a horizontal portion on the top surface ofeach of the epitaxial regions and inclined portions on the inclinedsurfaces of each of the first and second epitaxial regions,respectively.
 27. The method of claim 25, wherein the converting of atleast a portion of the silicon layer, on each of the first and secondepitaxial regions, to a silicide comprises converting the entirety ofthe silicon layer to a silicide.
 28. The method of claim 25, wherein theconverting of at least a portion of the silicon layer, on each of thefirst and second epitaxial regions, to a silicide comprises convertingonly that portion of the silicon layer located over the top surface ofeach of the epitaxial regions to silicide.
 29. The method of claim 25,wherein the converting of at least a portion of the silicon layer, oneach of the first and second epitaxial regions, to a silicide comprisesconverting only an upper portion of the silicon layer to a silicide suchthat a lower portion of the silicon layer remains interposed between theepitaxial regions and the silicide.
 30. The method of claim 22, whereinthe forming of the first and second epitaxial layers comprises formingsilicon-germanium.
 31. The method of claim 22, wherein the forming ofthe first and second epitaxial layers comprises forming silicon-carbon.32. The method of claim 22, wherein the forming of the silicon layercomprises: a selective epitaxial growth process including alternatelysupplying silicon source gas and selective etch gas into a processingchamber, in which the semiconductor substrate is disposed, as a cycle ofoperations; and repeating the cycle at least once.
 33. The method ofclaim 32, wherein the silicon source gas comprises at least one ofmonochlorosilane (SiH₃Cl), dichlorosilane (DCS), trichlorosilane (TCS),hexachlorosilane (HCS), SiH₄, and Si₂H₆, and the selective etch gascomprises at least one of HCl and Cl₂.
 34. The method of claim 22,wherein the forming of the silicon layer comprises: a selectiveepitaxial growth process including supplying silicon source gas into aprocess chamber in which the semiconductor substrate is disposed,subsequently purging the process chamber, subsequently supplyingselective etch gas into the process chamber, and subsequently purgingthe process chamber for a second time as a cycle of operations; andrepeating the cycle at least once.
 35. The method of claim 34, whereinthe silicon source gas comprises at least one of monochlorosilane(SiH₃C1), dichlorosilane (DCS), trichlorosilane (TCS), hexachlorosilane(HCS), SiH₄, and Si₂H₆, and the selective etch gas comprises at leastone of HCl and Cl₂.